The Ashanti Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Serebour Quaicoe, has said the declaration of election results by the media ahead of the statutory declaration by the mandated body could jeopardise the electoral process and lead to destabilisation of the country.
He has, therefore, urged the media not to declare results of elections but rather allow the returning officer, that is the EC, which is the only body mandated by law, to declare results for all public elections.
Mr Quaicoe was speaking during a one-day media advocacy workshop in Kumasi organised by the EC with support from the European Union (EU).
The EC director also charged the media to be very cautious in order not to fall prey to unsubstantiated information perpetuated on the social media when reporting.
He said most people were currently using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp to propagate their mischievous selfish agenda and warned the media to be circumspect with their sources in order not to “pass on information which could destabilise the peace Ghanaians were currently enjoying.”
Sensationalism
Mr Jonathan Frimpong, a member of the Ashanti Regional Media Advisory Committee, called on the media to be neutral and also desist from sensational reportage.
He added that such unethical behaviour could plunge the country into chaos.
According to him, many people take decisions based on the information they get from the media so journalists ought to be guided by the duty they owe to society to be educators, informers and entertainers.
He said the canons of journalism enjoined practitioners to provide the public with factual, balanced and accurate information in an atmosphere of circumspection and professional integrity.
Equal opportunities
Mr Frimpong further urged media houses to give equal opportunities to political parties in order to deepen fairness in the country, which he said was very instrumental in the country’s socio-economic development.
This, he said, would help voters make informed choices about whom to vote for in the upcoming election.
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